AT&T Inc. has expanded its broadband wireless network in Westchester County. The expansion of the third-generation network means users in the county will have better access to the Internet, e-mail and entertainment services.
With the addition of new technology to 65 cell towers, the network is now available in Yonkers, Mamaroneck, Rye, Mount Vernon, Eastchester, Bronxville, Pelham, Harrison, Larchmont, Scarsdale, New Rochelle, Dobbs Ferry and Hartsdale.. The network has also been enhanced along the Sprain Brook, Saw Mill River and Hutchinson parkways, as well as routes 9 and 9A, the company said.

IBM Corp. acquired Diligent Technologies Corp., a Framingham, Mass., technology company, the Armonk-based computing giant said today.

Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

Diligent, which has operations in Tel Aviv, Israel, develops “de-duplication” software that helps organizations reduce the amount and cost of of physical storage needed in data centers. Diligent will be folded into Armonk-based IBM’s System Storage business unit, Big Blue said.

Separately, IBM said it signed a $2.8 billion agreement with Cetelem, a subsidiary of French banking giant BNP-Paribas, to upgrade Cetelem’s consumer financial services operations in Argentina.

General Patent Corporation International said today it has licensed a cell-phone patent to LG Electronics Inc., the South Korean maker of consumer electronics, including cell phones.

The license gives LG non-exclusive rights to technology to improve communications between cell-phone transmitters and handsets, as well as devices, such as Bluetooth wireless headsets.

The patent is held by a sister company of General Patent, Digital Technology Licensing LLC, both of which are based in Montebello Park in Suffern.

IBM has released a report outlining new risks to people, cargo, and worldwide flows of information, finance and transportation, the Armonk-based technology giant said today.

Based on research and interviews with more than 200 former and current government officials and policy experts, the report highlights the complexity and vulnerability of these systems and provides recommendations for the future, IBM said.

They include developing security systems that do more than just prevent attacks, but also isolate disruptions and provide quick recovery.

Another recommendation is to build technological systems that provide the right information to employees when they need it to help them do their jobs better and protect their organizations.

“Our findings indicate that a better understanding of emerging risks makes it possible to improve security and resilience without harming commercial interests,” said W. Scott Gould, vice president of public sector strategy at IBM’s Global Business Services unit, in a written statement.

The report is available online at IBM’s Web site (www.ibm.com) and requires Adobe Reader software.

ON2 Technologies Inc. has signed an agreement to share its video encoding and publishing technology with European sports satellite and cable network Eurosport, the Greenburgh-based company said today.

Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

ON2’s Flix Engine technology will allow Eurosport to provide high-quality programming through its various Web sites to viewers with slower connection speeds and less powerful computers, ON2 said.

Eurosport programs include major sports events such as the Australian, French and U.S. Open tennis tournaments, the Olympic games and major cycling events, such as Le Tour de France.

Shares on ON2, traded on the American Stock Exchange, were lower in afternoon trading, off 3 cents to 88 cents each.

Property assessment challenges that are filed with the Westchester County Supreme Court now can be commenced electronically through the Unified Court System’s e-filing program, the County Clerk’s office said yesterday.
Documents can be filed online any time, anywhere. Court fees can be paid by credit card online. No additional fees are charged in connection with e-filed cases. Judges and court clerks can receive and access files electronically as well.
To access the Unified Court System’s e-filing website, go to nycourts.gov. Click on “E-Courts” and then “Electronic Filing.” You can also visit www.westchesterclerk.com, click on “Legal Division,” then click on “E-filing of Tax Certiorari.”
The program is a joint effort of County Clerk Timothy C. Idoni and Administrative Judge Francis A. Nicolai, with support from Westchester County’s Department of Information Technology. For more information, call 995-3070 or visit www.westchesterclerk.com.

A video showing the impact of a fiber optic communications network on Westchester County is available online at www.optimumlightpath.com/westchester.

The video was created by Optimum Lightpath in association with the Westchester County government. Optimum Lightpath, a division of Cablevision Systems Corp., was involved in building the network that spans 56,982 fiber miles and delivers services to nearly 60 percent of the municipalities located in the county, including nearly 225 government buildings and more than 200 commercial buildings.

The film features commentary from Westchester government and business leaders regarding the network’s impact on their growth.

Researchers at IBM Corp’s Yorktown Heights research center have developed technology that allows information within a computer chip using light pulses  instead of electrons, the company said today.

In building the world’s tiniest nanophotonic switch, researchers have added an important building block to control the flow of information inside future chips and can significanty speed up chip performance while using less energy, IBM said.

Armonk-based IBM Corp. and Hitachi Ltd., of Tokyo, have embarked on a two-year agreement to speed the innovation of chips, marking the first time the companies have collobarated in developing semiconductors.

The companies will focus on research into the next generation of smaller chips at IBM’s Watson Research Center Yorktown Heights and at the University at Albany’s NanoTech Complex, the companies said today.

The work will focus on developing 32- and 22-nanometer semiconductors, which, the companies noted, is “at near atomic scale.”

Collaboration will help the companies develop the technology at less cost than if undertaken individually, said IBM vice president Bernie Meyerson.

“By combining individual research strength and intellectual property, we reduce the significant costs associated with research needed to advance the next generation of chip technology,” Meyerson said.

Norman Jacknis, the information technology guru credited with leading Westchester County government into the age of the Internet, will leave on Feb. 14 to join networking giant Cisco Systems.

Jacknis, 61, has broadly influenced the electronic operation of county government in the 10 years that he has served as chief information officer. Among his first tasks in 1998 was a directive from County Executive Andrew Spano to convert the government offices from paper to electronic communications by year’s end.

Since then, he has been credited with developing a high-speed Internet network with both business and education applications, automating the county’s emergency services center, and overhauling the county Web site.

Among other things, the site now reports the results of a bimonthly county survey of gas prices.

He was named one of the “Top 25 Doers, Dreamers & Drivers� by Government Technology magazine.

Jacknis said he was gratified when Westchester recently was selected as one of the Top 7 Intelligent Communities of the Year by the Intelligent Community Forum, an international research group.

“Every single department has been touched by his creativity and intervention,� Spano said in a statement. “We’ve gone from the Dark Ages to the 22nd century as far as I’m concerned . I certainly understand why his skills are in demand.�

Jacknis, a Cortlandt resident, was out of the office yesterday and couldn’t be reached for comment.

At Cisco, he will work as a technology adviser to government clients around the world, helping them pursue the same changes he led in Westchester.

“This is an opportunity to take what I’ve been dong in Westchester to a worldwide stage,� he said in a statement.

Jacknis led a department with a staff of 181 and a budget of $45.3 million. At a salary of $171,000, he earned more than Spano, who receives a salary of $160,000.

Deputy Chief Information Officer Marguerite Beirne will serve as acting CIO. There’s no timetable yet for finding Jacknis’ successor, county spokeswoman Lynne Bedell Smith said.

Residents in Sleepy Hollow, Briarcliff Manor and the town of Ossining are a step closer to having an additional choice for cable-television service after the boards of each municipality agreed to grant Verizon a video franchise, Verizon said today.

Each community’s board of trustees approved the deals last week, bringing to 92 the number of communities in the state that have approved video franchises for the Manhattan-based regional phone company.

“Consumers here will be able to choose their cable provider as easily as they choose their phone company,â€? said Monica Azare, Verizon senior vice president for New York and Connecticut, about the villages’ and town’s decisions to offer Verizon’s FiOS service in addition to Cablevision’s cable TV service.

IBM Corp. has agreed to buy Solid Information Technology, a privately held maker of database software, based in Cupertino, Calif., and Helsinki, Finland.

Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

Armonk-based IBM said the purchase broadens the company’s portfolio of database and information-management offerings, augmenting IBM’s software business, which currently provides 20 percent of total sales and 40 percent of IBM’s profit, Big Blue said.

Solid Information Technology is the 12th acquisition announced by IBM this year.

The acquisition is expected to contribute to IBM’s goal for achieving growth in per-share earnings through 2010, IBM said.

At about noon, IBM stock was trading at $110.30 a share, up $1.44, or 1.3 percent.

Customers of Cablevision’s Optimum Online service in Peekskill, Pleasantville and Pelham can now connect wirelessly to the Internet while sitting outside at parks, cafes or while waiting for the train.
The rollout of free wireless Internet, or WiFi, is part of Cablevision’s move to improve service for customers of its high-speed Internet service, said John Trierweiler, senior vice president of product management.

Optimum Online subscribers with a WiFi-enabled computer or portable device can get their e-mail or surf the Web away from home for free.

Almost 48 percent of homes with access to Cablevision’s fiber optic network subscribe to Optimum Online, the company noted.

The coverage area in all three communities is limited:

• Peekskill: Railroad Avenue between Hudson Avenue and Requa Street and extends into Riverfront Green Park;

• Pelham: Fifth Avenue between Lincoln and Pelhamwood avenues. Coverage also includes the area between Town Park from the corner of Harmon, Pelhamwood and Fifth avenues;

• Pleasantville: Washington Avenue between Edgewood Avenue and Manville Road, and on Wheeler Avenue between Bedford and Manville roads.

Cablevision installed the WiFi equipment free of charge. Marcus Serrano, deputy city manager and comptroller in Peekskill, said he would like to have his entire city connected to a WiFi network but until then welcomes Cablevision’s limited offering. “Cablevision did this voluntarily. They approached us and said they wanted to build a WiFi network and wanted to do it in a location where people are waiting,� he said.

He noted that Cablevision is now facing competition in Peekskill and other towns from Verizon’s FiOS Internet service. “Competition is good, and this is a prime example,� he said.

Heather Wilner, spokeswoman for Verizon, said that while there is no similar WiFi network in the works for FiOS customers, there are multiple options for customers who want to access the Internet on the go, including installing a network card. “With WiFi you have to be in a particular spot in Pelham or Pleasantville or Peekskill. With our plan, it’s true mobile wireless service,� she said.

The new WiFi networks from Cablevision come as more communities around the country are rolling out municipal wireless networks. Last year, New Rochelle became the first city in the Lower Hudson Valley to build a free wireless network. The network was created under the auspices of the Rochelle Downtown Business Improvement District and was paid for by the Empire State Development Corp., Metro-North, Avalon on the Sound, New Roc City and Monroe College.

Westchester County’s government has been exploring the option for creating a countywide network, but the hilly and forested topography of the region pose challenges. Muniwireless.com reports that as of this summer, almost 100 communities around the county have built WiFi networks.

Chappaqua-based Reader’s Digest Association and its online recipe site, Allrecipes.com, have created the Food Advertising Network RDA. The network is designed to serve small and medium-sized companies that want to advertise in the online food category. The network includes the food sites Allrecipes.com, TasteOfHome.com, RachaelRayMag.com and ChefsCatalog.com. Allrecipes.com has 15 million annual visitors. The new network features a technology called AdWizardRDA, a self-serve advertising service. Companies can create their own display ads by selecting from ready-made templates or uploading their own creative content. AdWizard allows advertisers to target ads geographically, which is desirable for regional brands that only sell their products in a few areas of the country.

Comcast Corp. has added 36 new networks to its channels in the Carmel area, including nine high-definition channels, the company announced. The new HD channels, which are accessible to digital cable customers with an HD set-top box, include Starz, TNT, MOJO, A&E, Food, National Geographic, HGTV, ESPN2 and MHD. The new offerings also include five international networks and 13 Spanish-speaking networks, which are available for an extra fee. Comcast, which provides cable, entertainment and communications products and services nationwide, has 24.1 million cable customers, 12.4 million high-speed Internet customers and 3.5 million voice customers, the company said.

Video surveillance technology developed at IBM Research labs here in Westchester County is being deployed in the city of Chicago. The Armonk-based computer giant said that Chicago’s Operation Virtual Shield is now using IBM’s artificial intelligence technology for analyzing video to further improve what Big Blue is calling “the most advanced and sophisticated digital video surveillance system ever deployed in a U.S. city.�

IBM’s Smart Surveillance Solution will help Chicago city officials detect suspicious activity and public safety concerns. Sam Docknevich, who leads IBM’s digital video surveillance practice, said Chicago is way ahead of other U.S. cities when it comes to using their camera network in a way to actually makes citizens safer by analyzing the video in real time. For example, if a car is involved in a criminal incident, IBM’s technology can help identify where the car was in the hour before the event by searching the video database for its license plate.

IBM and its business partners have been working with engineers from Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications for several years to design and deploy the infrastructure to capture, monitor, record and analyse video from thousands of cameras.

The Common Council in Peekskill this week approved Verizon Communication Inc.’s bid to provide its fiber-optic cable televison service. The company still needs the approval of the state Public Service Commission. Verizon offers cable, Internet and phone service over its FiOS network.

J.D. Power and Associates has ranked Verizon Wireless highest in the Northeast based on having fewer reported problems with initial connections, echoes and voice distortion. Verizon Wireless has regional headquarters in Orangeburg. The results were from the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Wireless Call Quality Performance Study — Volume 2 released last week. The study, in its fifth year, found that call-quality problems have continued to decline nationwide.

IBM Corp. and Belk Inc. the nation’s largest privately held department store, have signed a seven-year, $98 million deal, renewing an existing outsourcing contract that dates back some 60 years, the companies said today.

The contract calls for Armonk-based Big Blue to continue implementing systems to provide data-center services, storage management, back up and recovery, and system software support, among other things.

Belk, based in Charlotte, N.C., operates more than 300 stores in 16 Southern states.

Separately, IBM said it has installed self-checkout systems in five Key Food stores in New York City.

The technology allows Man-Dell Food Stores, an independent Queens-based grocer, to better compete in the low-margin grocery business, IBM said.

Mary Ann Liebert Inc., a publisher of biotechnology journals, said today it has started a biotech video channel hosted on its Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News Web site (www.genengnews.com) .

“We have launched the video component to complement our print and online editions,” said John Sterling, the publication’s editor-in-chief.

The first video to run on GEN’s biotech video channel is a corporate-overview video about GE Healthcare Life Sciences.

The Piscataway, N.J.,-based unit of General Electric Co. was chosen because its business is similar in breadth to GEN’s coverage and is relevant to the Web site’s audience, the New Rochelle-based company said.